South Dallas nonprofit working to improve maternal health

Yahoo

08-04-2025

The Brief
Black women in America are three and a half times more likely to suffer a pregnancy-related death – more than any other ethnic group.
That stat is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's newly released maternal morbidity report.
A group of stakeholders in Dallas will gather Tuesday to discuss the critical issue.
DALLAS - There are people in Dallas who are trying to reverse a disturbing trend. Black women are statistically more likely to die from giving birth.
By the numbers
According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are three and a half times more likely to die from giving birth than any other race.
Big picture view
The reasons are varied, beginning with poor prenatal care and ending with little postpartum help.
One of the biggest concerns is hidden mental health issues during or after pregnancy.
"They're not talking about what they're experiencing for it to be screened properly and treated. And even family members, right, are struggling to really understand 'How do I know?'" said Kaycee Polite, a counselor at the South Dallas nonprofit Viola's House.
Polite said 75% of mental health issues are not addressed in Black women because of negative attitudes about mental health.
"It's not something that people want to own or recognize as a struggle, right? So again, that's part of our commitment in the Black community to change that because we're doing our community a disservice by not providing that space," she said.
Local perspective
Viola's House is trying to change the stats and improve the outcomes.
"I started this program over 13 years ago to help mothers who were pregnant and facing an unplanned pregnancy," said founder Thana Hickman. "We focus on the social determinates of health. A big piece of that wheel is mental health, along with housing, food, transportation, economic stability, and education."
Hickman traveled to Washington D.C. last week to visit with members of the Trump administration and discuss the services and funding needed for Black maternal health.
She hopes the change starts this week in Dallas with a Tuesday call to action conversation with United Way, Parkland Hospital, and others concerned about maternal health outcomes.
"We need everybody to know that it's not just something that you're reading about but that it's happening right here in your backyard," she said.
The Source
FOX 4's Shaun Rabb gathered the information in this story from a CDC report on maternal morbidity and interviews with Kaycee Polite and Thana Hickman at Viola's House.